The ever reliable Rob Lowe plays Rob Harlan, a happily married man who, after losing his job writes a book which becomes a best seller – turning Rob into a literary phenomenon. However, as his fame spreads and his success grows, he starts to take his family for granted, and loses sight of what is important in his life.

This film was made for cable television, and is not one of Rob Lowe’s better known films, but it is definitely worth catching if you get chance. Lowe is of course perfect in the lead role, and although Rob (Harlan)’s behaviour became frustrating, Lowe just about kept the audience on his side (or this viewer at least), in that I wanted him to open his eyes and see what he was in danger of losing. Paget Brewster was great as his wife Allyson, who watches in dismay as her loving husband grows further away from here, and Frances Conroy is also very good as Rob’s agent and friend Camille. Christopher Lloyd takes a small but pivotal role as a mysterious man who pops up several times and always unexpectedly, to warn Rob of what he is putting at risk by his behaviour.

The only thing that annoyed me about this film was the ending. It’s an adaptation of a book – which I haven’t read, but which apparently the film remains pretty faithful to – and therefore, any disappointment at the ending is not really the fault of the film-makers. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, and if I told the ending, it would be a BIG spoiler, but suffice to say that it was not what I was expecting, and I don’t mean that in a good way. I mean it in a a kind of “what the heck were they going for there?” kind of way. But for a film of an hour and a half, at least an hour and a quarter of it is very enjoyable, and on that basis, I would recommend it.

This television movie is based on the real life story of Jennifer Corbin, wife of dentist Bart Corbin. Jennifer was killed in an apparent suicide, but her sister Heather is convinced that Bart murdered her. As events unfold, the truth about the Corbins’ marriage is revealed in flashback, and shows that Jennifer was having an internet affair, while Bart cannot deal with rejection. It is only through Heather’s determination, and the tenacity of the investigating detectives that the truth is finally revealed.

I accept that this film does not break any new boundaries, and in many ways is a typical ‘Lifetime’ movie. However, the great performances of the cast elevate it to much better than average. Rob Lowe is such a talented, versatile actor, and here he plays the charming but controlling Corbin to perfection. Lauren Holly also does a great job as Jennifer’s sister Heather, and Yannick Bisson (who I adore from TV’s Murdoch Mysteries) puts in a nice supporting performance as Bart’s brother Bobby. Detective Roche, the lead detective in the investigation is well played by Michelle Hurd. Jennifer herself is played by Stefanie von Pfetten. She was a new face to me, but handled the part of the troubled Jennifer very well.

The story starts with Jennifer’s death, and all evidence points to suicide. Having no knowledge of the actual tragic events behind this film, I was not sure whether in fact she had killed herself, or if as her sister suspected, she had been murdered – and if she had been murdered, then who was responsible?

Overall, I would say the film is engaging and certainly very watchable. I would definitely recommend it to fans of Rob Lowe – it may not be his most popular or well-known role, but as always, he gives it everything, and is very convincing.